Fastener for envelopes



June 20, 1950 C. B, GALLAGHER 2,512,423

FASTENER FOR ENVELOPES Filed Sept. 25, 1947 Array/4x;

Patented June 20,vk 1950 FASTENER Fon ENvELoPEs y carter B. Gallagher, Clifton Forge, va.

Application September 23, 1947, Serial No. 775,618

4 Claims.- (o1. 24-206) This invention relates to a latch for envelopes, and lmore -particularly to a latch for expansible envelopes such as commonly used for holding legal and other important documents.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved and simplified latching device for en.- velopes of the type indicated which is adapted to securely hold the lfiap in closed position regardless of the extent to which the expansible. envelope has been expanded.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latch of the type indicated in which the accidental unlatching of the device is eiectively prevented.

A further object of the invention is to provide a latching device of the type indicated of improved and simplified structure adapting it to large scale economical manufacture and ease of application to the envelope.

Further objects will more particularly appear in the vcourse of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the novel construction, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

One sheet of drawings accompanies this specification as part thereof, in which like reference characters indicate like parts throughout.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a back plan view partly broken away of an expansible envelope with the present invention applied;

Figure 2 is -a transverse cross section taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal cross section taken on line 3 3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective of the tongue end of the iiap carried element; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective of the guide member carried by the envelope body with its associated slide.

In the use of expansible envelopes such as are commonly used for handling legal and other important papers, various expediente have been resorted to and a number of mechanical devices contrived to permit the eiiective latching of the envelope to secure the iiap closed at different stages of expansion of the envelope, but none of these devices has proven entirely satisfactory for various reasons.

The present invention, a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, has been found to eliminate most of highly efficient, easily applied and-easily manipulated means for electively fastening the-flap of the envelope with respect to the body 'of the envelope regardless Aof the number of ldocumenta contained and fthe extent to which the body-of the envelope :has been expanded. r i

In the drawings a ,conventionalV expansible envelope E 'is shown provided, vasis customary, by end bellows structures B 'permitting the ex- ,pansion of the distance between the Ifront `and rear walls of the envelope to .accommodate :a varying number of documents, and having a :flap F formed by .a fold line with respect to the front panel of the envelope, and extendingas-herein illustrated, lengthwise fof the envelope, although it will beappreciated that the present invention is equally` applicable .to .expansible envelopes` of other proportions and shapes. ,l

To effectively latch and secure the .iiap F` with respect to the rear face .of the body of the ienvelope E, I provide an elongated strip indicated generally by I, which elongated strip aisforaned with .a-.medial :longitudinally extending dentession 3 which is preferably formed "byrdepressing the central longitudinally extending medial por-- tion of the stripV below the plane of the opposed manginal portions 2'-2 thewdepth vaflthe thickness of the sheet of metal or the like iromwhiah the strip Lisformed, thus. providing thema'rginal por-tions 2-2was effective longitudinally :spaced guidayays for e, slideamember it :which is `formed asa short-strip of similar sheet material having its end-portions TI bent under the marginal vguideway portionsQ-Z ofthestrip I so as to be freely' slidable lengthwise :of said strip. The bottom pontion 3 Vor longitudinal guideway `formed in the strip 1I, iis further formed with a plurality of spaced tra-nsve'rsely'extending' depressions in its bottom portion, --ancl the lends of this stri-p ll are herein illustrated as being turned downward through suitable slots in the body portion of the envelope E and crimped thereunder as at 5 to rigidly associate the strip I with the envelope, or any economical and satis-factory method of fastening strip I with the envelope.

The strip I, it will be observed, is secured to the envelope E at right angles to the line of bend between the body of the envelope and the flap F, and preferably midway of the length of the flap, although it Will be understood that if desired a plurality of these fasteners may be used and positioned at any portions of the envelope desired.

For each of the rilgid strips I secured to the these objectionable features and to provide a body of the envelope a second strip I0 is associated rwith the ap member F in alignment with the strip I and secured by one end to the ap in suc-h manner as to maintain this strip in rigid association with the flap, this being secured as illustrated herein by bending the strip I through a suitable slot in the llap as at I3, and then reversely bending the strip over itself as at I4, and bending its end inwardly through a second slot in the ap and crimping same under and between the body I0, and the portion I4', as is well illustrated in Figure 2. Other economical and satisfactory connections between the strip I0 and flap may be adopted. The free end oi this strip I0 is lformed as a tongue I I of a width corresponding to the width of the depressed guideway 3 in the strip I, and this tongue Il is formed with a transverse depressed portion I2 of a size adapted to seat in one of the transverse depressions 4 formed in the guideway 3 of the member I.

The operation of the device is simple inasmuch as the flap F is folded over the filled envelope and the slide 6 positioned at the left end of the strip I, permitting the insertion oi the tongue II in the longitudinal guideway 3 with its depressed portion I2 engaging the most conveniently positioned transverse slot 4 of the strip I, afterwhich the slide member 6 s moved toward the flap to overlie the tongue II, and thus rmly secure the tongue II and ap with respect to the body of the envelope E.

It will be apparent that any disposition or tendency of the tong-ue II to rise in the guide- Way 3 to disengage the depressed portion I2, will increase the pressure on the slide member 6. thereby more effectively locking the assembled parts in the desired relationship and precluding the unintentional unlatching of the device. The unlatching of course is. equally simple when desired, by merely sliding the slide member S away from the iap and thus releasing the tongue member II.

Various modifications in the precise size and structure and materials from which the device is made, will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In an expansible envelope comprising a body portion and a flap portion hinged with respect thereto, a latching device for adjustably securing said portions together comprising complementary strip members secured to the back face of said body'portion and to said ap portion, respectively, at right angles to the hinged axis of said flap portion, one of said strip members formed with a longitudinally extending depressed guide- Way, a slide member engaging the marginal portions of said member bridging said depressed 4 .i guideway and freely slidable longitudinally thereof, the other strip member being formed with an elongated tongue of width and thickness to seat in the guideway beneath the slide member, said tongue and guideway formed respectively with complementary interengaging parts, said interengaging parts on one of said members being spaced apart lengthwise of the guideway and tongue.

2. In an expansible envelope comprising a body portion and a iiap por-tion hinged with respect thereto, a latching device for adjustably securing said portions together comprising a strip secured to one of said envelope portions and formed with an elongated gudeway, said guide- Way formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse depressions, a slide on said strip bridging the guideway, a second strip secured to the other of said envelope portions and having a tongue extending in alignment with the guideway in the rst strip, said tongue formed with a depressed part formed to seat in a selected transverse depression in the guideway.

3. Device recited in the preceding claim in which the first mentioned strip has the medial longitudinal portion of the strip positioned below the plane of the opposed marginal parts, which latter parts constitute guideways for the slide, and which slide comprises a strip disposed transversely of the guideway with its end portions extended under said marginal parts.

4. Device recited in claim 2 in which the first mentioned strip has its medial longitudinal part in a plane below the adjacent marginal parts intermediate the end portions of the strip and constitutes the guideway, and in which the tongue formed on the second strip is proportioned in width and thickness to be embraced between the medial depressed portion and the marginal parts of the first strip when the depressed portion ci said tongue is engaged in one of the transverse depressions formed in said medial guideway.

CARTER B. GALLAGI-IER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 244,149 Sanders July 12, 1881 1,658,053 Kollstede Feb. 7, 1928 1,793,203 Ahlquist Feb. 17, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 12,754 Great Britain A. D. 

